Joyce Nower (1932-2010) was a founding member of the Ad Hoc Committee for Women's Studies at San Diego State University and thus co-founded the first Women's Studies program in the United States. Nower was also a cofounder of the community-based Center for Women's Studies and Services, which was the first Women's Center in Southern California. Today, the Center is the largest provider of prevention and intervention services in San Diego County for survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking. Nower earned her B.A. from Middlebury College, M.A. from Harvard University, and Ph.D. from The Union Institute and University, Cincinnati. Nower taught women's literature, contemporary issues, and women in history courses and published several books, including Qin Warriors and Other Poems. Column of Silence, and Year of the Fires. Joyce Nower died in 2010.